Between a Rock and a Hard Place

We have been spending most of our time visiting cities and towns all around Germany and starting to spread out into more areas of Europe in general. We have not lived in a city for a long time, spending most of our time in Colorado Springs which is a city with a small town feel, so this has definitely been a life-changing experience. It doesn’t seem like we are going to have time to go hiking while we are here since there are just too many wonderful places to visit and incredible sights to see. One of the things that we had enjoyed the most about living in Colorado Springs was our close proximity to hiking in the mountains with the incredible beauty of the rugged nature. We have already started to  think about our return to the United States and where we will decide to live when we return, although mostly we wish we could just stay in Europe for at least a few months more. On the one hand, we have options which is nice, but Colorado Springs has been home for more than twenty years, so it is hard not to consider going back there upon our return. Before we cross that bridge, though, we have plenty of travel ahead of us while we are here in Germany. When we saw this week’s Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge – Rocks, Paper, Scissors, our immediate thoughts returned to hiking in the mountains of Colorado. Obviously these are more boulders than rocks, but these surroundings are very dear to our hearts and we will carry them with us no matter where our travels take us.

Behind Kissing Camels
In Garden of the Gods
Weathered Rocks
Typical Trail in Colorado
Lower Reservoir at Palmer Lake

 

First “Real” Hike of the Season

We did a fair amount of hiking while we were in Bolivia and we also walk thirty to sixty minutes every day, but this weekend was the first chance we’ve had to get out and go for a hike in the mountains this year. Mostly because we’ve been travelling as well as the poor weather that we’ve had this spring, but at last we were able to do one of the things that we love about summertime in Colorado.  We are very fortunate to be able to drive thirty minutes or less and be in the mountains with all of the beauty that they offer.  This is one of our favorite hikes as it isn’t too strenuous and offers the opportunity to hike for as long or as short as we would like since there is an entire interconnected trail system.

Start of the Trail
View of the Stream by the Trail
Ducks on the Lake
Aspen Tree against the Sky
Part of the Side Trail

The trail is called the Palmer Lake Reservoir Trail and is located just outside of the little town of Palmer Lake.  The main trail follows a stream that is the run-off from the reservoirs, which was running pretty swiftly at this time of year as there is still snow melting in the high country.  It takes you past the two man-made lakes that provides fresh water to the town of Palmer Lake as well as fishing opportunities for those willing to make the hike.  We’ve done this hike dozens of times and it never ceases to please us.  As with most trails in the mountains, despite the fact that the parking lot was full and we even had to park in the overflow parking lot, which was also full, we rarely saw anyone else on the trail with us.  Getting away from people and connecting with nature is one of the main reasons we like to hike, it is so serene to hike through the woods, listening to the breeze blow through the trees above, and seeing all of the various wildflowers that grow throughout the area.

Yellow Wildflowers
Wildflowers Growing on Boulders
Fallen Tree by the Trail
Blue Wildflowers
View of the Upper Reservoir

It was a beautiful day with the typical bright blue skies of Colorado.  We pushed ourselves as far as a first hike of the season, going for a full two hours and four miles round-trip.  Perhaps because of the hiking that we did in Bolivia, it didn’t seem like too much of a strain, despite the gain in altitude.  To be fair, if you ever read descriptions of hiking trails in the mountains, you’ll often see them described as “moderate”, but any hike in the mountains is going to be strenuous at times, so we usually take the rating lightly and judge for ourselves the difficulty of a trail.  With that said, this really is a moderate trail for anyone used to hiking at altitude.  The trail starts at about 2,200 meters (6,700 feet) and gains about a 700 meters (2,200 feet) depending on which side trail you decide to take, but it gains less if you just hike up to the second reservoir.

Heading Back Down
Gorgeous Views
Upper Reservoir
Clear Blue Sky
The Side Trail that We Took

It was great to get back into the mountains and do some hiking, we’re really looking forward to a full season of exploring new trails.  It is going to be a busy travel season for us, but when we’re not on the road, we want to get out and hike as much as possible.  We live in a gorgeous state and a beautiful part of the country, so we want to take advantage of every opportunity to explore it, even after living here for over twenty years.  If you ever get a chance to visit Colorado during the spring, summer, or fall, get up into the mountains and do some hiking.  Despite how strenuous hiking can be, it is also extremely relaxing and definitely recharges our batteries.

Part of the Trail
Lower Reservoir
View as You Get Close to the Upper Reservoir
Boulders and Pine Trees